It allows to launch exported activities from various apps and helps to create useful shortcuts
2 examples where I find it to be quite useful:
1. Quick Record shortcut for Audio Recorder
It currently does not have a quick recording shortcut.
Audio Recorder Gitlab issue where a user requests the feature. Maybe attention from someone here would be helpful?
You can directy search for the app in Activity manager, open it and create a a shortcut for the Recording activity.
2. Shortcut to open Android/data folder in the native Files app
Context for the folder location I use here
For Android 11 & onwards, you can’t access the Android/data folder(without root) from regular file manager apps like Material files(awesome opensource file manager).
The Telegram X app stores it’s downloaded files in a folder there.
Material files calls the native Android Files(not GFiles, documentsui.files) app to open the Android/data folder.
Activity manager can be used to create a shortcut for that
- Search for and open the Files app in Activity Manager and choose the Launch with parameters option for the FilesActivity
- Action, choose ACTION_VIEW
- Data =
content://com.android.externalstorage.documents/document/primary%3AAndroid%2Fdata%2Forg.thunderdog.challegram%2Ffiles%2Fdocumentsor any other directory you like - Mime type, choose vnd.android.document/directory
You can then launch the activity with the parameter.
This will be recorded in History(the clock sign). You can long-press the entry and create a Shortcut.
Do you have any other cases or ideas where this would be usedul? Please do share them here.
On a tangent, Material files allows making shortcuts to files and folders. Markor, text editor app, allows the same too.
Thank you
Are there any other cool activities that you like? Or find useful?
I once thought about whether I could have a shortcut for Pipepipe/Newpipe Feed refresh, but it doesn’t seem to be an exported activity.
I mostly use it to access hidden system settings, tests or similar, or to a shortcut within a shortcut.
One I do use frequently is forcing google system updates using
Under google services
com.google.android/.gms.update.SystemUpdateActivity
Under google play store
com.google.android.finsky.systemupdateactivity.SystemUpdateActivity
Another is accesaing the notification log. Not just the notification history that’s available via the settings menu.
com.android.settings/.Settings$NotificationStationActivity
Thank you.
The first two activities led me to the system updates activity.
Is there one for Google play services?
The one under play services (gms), for me, is the ota system update.
The one under play store (finsky), for me, launches the google system update.